1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communications systems and methods for monitoring and/or controlling a multitude of functionalities within various facilities and/or buildings. More particularly, the present invention relates to communications systems and methods for remotely monitoring and/or controlling a plurality of building functions relating to various utility, security, maintenance, etc. systems within a single building and/or a plurality of buildings. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to communication systems and methods for remotely monitoring and controlling various functionalities, including sensors, alarms, and/or other devices within a facility and/or a plurality of facilities
In some embodiments, the present invention relates to systems and methods that can be configured to enable remote management of building systems and sub-systems, such as HVAC, boilers, lighting, electrical systems, security systems, and any other types of systems in a building and/or buildings. The present invention can be further configured to provide a monitoring and command interface to any building system that, in some embodiments, can be configured to use LonTalk and/or Bacnet protocols or any other protocols for communication.
2. Background
Today's buildings, whether residential, commercial, medical, or otherwise, are sustained through operation of various utility systems. Through operation of such systems electricity, heat, HVAC, water, lighting, security and other necessities are typically provided to the buildings. Each system may include various electrical, mechanical, and human components that ensure proper operation of such system. Some conventional system are controlled by human operators and thus, require maintenance of staff on-site or on-call to control, maintain, and otherwise operate the systems. Others may be controlled automatically or through a combination of automatic and human control. Such systems force building owners to extend additional resources and costs in order to maintain proper operation of these systems as well as account for any human errors that may result in improper operation of the systems. This may be costly as one overlooked system malfunction can lead to a whole host of problems that will need to be fixed.
Further, many conventional systems are not capable of remotely controlling multiple buildings having multiple building functionalities using a single monitor-and-control device and be adaptable to various control interfaces that are used by the buildings and building owners.
Thus, there is a need to provide a system and a method for monitoring and controlling various functionalities within a facility/building and/or facilities/buildings using a single monitor-and-control device, where such monitoring and control functions are configured to be adaptable to various system and/or building environments.